


Revelations

by KejfeBlintz



Series: Little 'verse [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Baby!Tony, Cuddling & Snuggling, Diapers, Domestic Avengers, Gen, Iron Man is a Little, Non-Sexual Age Play, bottles, caregiver!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23066521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KejfeBlintz/pseuds/KejfeBlintz
Summary: One of Tony's mandatory Little days falls during Rhodey's visit, but Rhodey doesn't know about the Team's Age Playing. Which could be awkward.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Series: Little 'verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734094
Comments: 12
Kudos: 252





	Revelations

Rhodey watched as Steve paused in the doorway of the workshop to take in the sight of Tony elbow-deep in the War Machine armour, bickering simultaneously with Rhodey and Dum-E.  
“I’m telling you that won’t work honeybun - no, Dum-E put that down - when did you forget basic quantum physics?”  
He heard Steve clear his throat to signal his arrival. Tony, predictably, ignored Steve’s presence and continued wrestling with whatever he was currently invested in. Rhodey nodded his head in greeting and Dum-E raced over, beeping in complaint at Steve. Steve reached out to sooth the ruffled Bot and made his way over to Tony.  
“It’s been 72 hours Tony.” Steve said as he reached Tony.  
“Go away Steve, I’m busy.” Tony grumbled.  
“You know the rules.” Steve’s tone was firm but still gentle, giving Tony the option to comply with his own accord.  
“No it hasn’t. Rhodey only just got here...ah ha!” Tony extracted his arm, waving a circuit board in victory. “Got it!”  
“Excellent, so this is a good time to stop and come upstairs.” said Steve.  
“Nope, I’m just getting started. You can see yourself out, Cap.” Tony still hadn’t looked at Steve, instead busied himself with the mess of wires hanging out of the open panel on the armour in front of him.  
Rhodey looked on, knowing that fighting with Tony when he was like this was futile. He’d had plenty of years of practice at dealing with Tony on an inventing binge and knew that getting him to stop before his body literally gave out was impossible, never mind getting him to take breaks for such minor concerns as food and sleep.  
“Last chance Tony.” Steve warned. Tony ignored him.  
“JARVIS, override code 7224 welfare protocol Spangles.” It seemed that Steve had got a new trick up his sleeve since the last time Rhodey was at the Tower. JARVIS shut off the power to the lab, leaving just the emergency lights glowing faintly.  
“What the hell Rogers?!” Tony was outraged, spinning to face Steve with a furious expression.  
“You’ve been down here without a break for 72 hours Tony, you know the rules we agreed on. I gave you the chance to make the decision for yourself and you didn’t, so here we are at the consequence. Time to stop for a break.” Steve’s tone brooked no argument.  
“No.” Not that that stopped Tony from arguing. Steve raised his eyebrow at Tony. “No?” he replied.  
“Got to get this fixed before Rhodey has to leave.” Tony’s expression was mulish, arms folded and glaring at Steve. Steve turned to look at Rhodey.  
“How long until you need to go back?” he asked.  
“3 days, unless I get a call.” Rhodey replied. Steve nodded his thanks.  
“Right, so plenty of time for a break then you can come back down.”  
Tony glared at Steve some more then sighed. “Fine, I’ll come upstairs for an hour but then I’m coming back down.”  
“Nice try sweetheart,” Rhodey raised his eyebrow at the endearment “but you know the rules. 24 hours.”  
“No way! 2 hours and I’ll have a nap.” Tony rejoined.  
Rhodey watched as the bargaining played out, fully expecting Steve to fold despite these mysterious rules.  
“Oh you’ll definitely have a nap. And a full night’s sleep. 24 hours, no compromise. You can spend some time with Rhodey in daylight for a change.”  
“4 hours, and that’s my final offer.”  
Steve was unmoved by Tony’s bargaining it seemed, reaching out to squeeze Tony’s shoulder affectionately. “Come on, Bruce is cooking and Thor just got home. Don’t make me carry you.”  
Tony visibly wilted at Steve’s touch, the fight going out of him. “Fine. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”  
“Atta boy.” Steve smiled fondly at Tony and began to hustle him towards the elevator. Rhodey followed in astonishment, he’d never seen Tony submit to anyone so easily. He vowed to take Rogers to one side as soon as he got the chance and interrogate him about his methods.

Dinner was no less perplexing to Rhodey. Tony washed the dirt and grease from his hands and face with minimal complaints before sitting down at the table between Steve and Rhodey for an honest-to-goodness family style meal. He watched as Steve deftly filled a plate with a little of everything from the platters in the centre of the table and placed it in front of Tony, then tore up a naan bread into bite sized chunks and placed it in a small bowl beside Tony’s right hand. Tony himself was seemingly oblivious to the food, already deep in conversation with Bruce about the improvements he was making to the War Machine armour, until Steve nudged his hand gently with a piece of naan. Tony curled his fingers around the bread and absentmindedly scooped up some of the curry on his plate and popped it into his mouth. The flavours on his tongue clearly kick started his appetite and Rhodey watched as he steadily cleared his plate, all the while chatting away. For his part, Steve was in conversation with Natasha and seemingly ignoring Tony, but Rhodey noticed him nudging Tony’s hand gently whenever he deemed it had been too long between mouthfuls of food. 

Once dinner was done and the dishes cleared away, Tony grabbed Rhodey’s hand and made a break for the elevators. “Come on, we’ll be back in the workshop before they even notice.” he hissed, dragging Rhodey along with him.  
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Captain America’s commanding voice boomed across the room. Tony froze.  
“I, um...was going to show Rhodey something. In my room. Yes.”  
“Really.” Steve was unimpressed. “Well it will still be there later.”  
“Dammit.” grumbled Tony, changing course to drag Rhodey over to the sofa instead. He pushed at Rhodey until he sat down, then draped himself in his lap to sulk. Rhodey saw Steve quirk an amused eyebrow as he settled himself down into an armchair. The rest of the team sprawled around the living room and occupied themselves with the TV, card games or conversation. Rhodey was impressed, on his last visit to the Tower the Avengers were barely civil to each other and now, almost a year later, they seemed to have formed a dysfunctional but close bond. He felt Tony squirm in his lap to try and get comfortable. He was used to a sulky Tony sitting on him for comfort, but not in front of other people. He tugged Tony closer and allowed his grumpy muttering to wash over him as he got involved in a conversation with Thor and Steve about battle strategy.

The room had mellowed into quiet as the team got engrossed in a movie. Tony hadn’t stopped squirming and huffing in his lap and he got even more agitated when Clint sat down at the other end of the sofa. Tony shoved at him with his feet. “Go away birdbrain, this is my sofa.”  
Clint grabbed his feet “There’s room for me too, your massive ego doesn’t need to sit here.”  
Tony tried to kick his feet free. “Get off idiot.” he snarled. Clint snarled back and a brief wrestling match broke out. Steve sighed audibly and stood up, moving to stand by the sofa.  
“Alright, you’re done.” He separated the pair. “Clint, you know better than to antagonise him when he’s tired. As for you, it’s bath time. Excuse me Colonel.” Steve addressed Rhodey as he leaned down and scooped Tony off his lap, settling him on his hip with practiced ease. Tony squawked in protest and tried to get down but Steve ignored him and carried him out of the room.  
“What the hell?” Rhodey couldn’t help the exclamation and stood to go after them. Coulson appeared in front of him.  
“Apologies Colonel, but I’m going to have to ask you to stay here.”  
“What the hell is going on here? Where’s Steve taking Tony? I swear to God…” Rhodey was concerned and angry, his protective instincts flaring. Coulson held up a placating hand.  
“You have my word that Tony is safe with Steve and he has given his full consent for this. When he is ready I’m sure he will give you an explanation, but until then I implore you to trust us with him. No harm will come to Tony, quite the opposite in fact.”  
Rhodey gave Coulson his best military glare, looking for a hint of dishonesty. Coulson returned his gaze placidly, then smiled as Rhodey sat back down. “Thank you Colonel, your trust is not misplaced.”  
Rhodey folded his arms with a grumble. “I don’t like being kept in the dark Agent, especially not about Tony.”  
“I am aware Colonel, and we don’t do this to trouble you purposefully, however until we have Tony’s permission to read you in then this is how it has to be.” Coulson smiled kindly but firmly. Rhodey recognised the expression of a man not to be dissuaded and tried to settle himself back into the movie.

Meanwhile, Steve was holding on to an increasingly upset Tony as they made their way up to the penthouse.  
“Don’t want to, don’t want to, don’t want to” came the ever-increasing chant from the wriggling form in his arms.  
“I know baby, you’re tired and cranky and everything is awful.” Steve soothed him, bouncing Tony gently in his arms as JARVIS took the elevator up to Tony’s apartment. “Bath, bottle and bed for you I think.”  
“No! Go downstairs!”  
Steve continued to shush and soothe Tony as they left the elevator and made their way to the bathroom. JARVIS had already started running the bathwater so Steve sat Tony on the toilet seat and began to gently remove his grease-stained clothes. Tony wriggled in protest but didn’t try to escape which Steve took as progress. Easing Tony down into his headspace was often a process, especially when he was overtired and combative from being in the workshop for too long. Rhodey’s presence wasn’t helping either, as far as Steve was aware Tony hadn’t shared his need for age playing with him so it may be more difficult for Tony to relax knowing that he was in the Tower. Still, Tony had been the one to suggest that playing would be a good way of recovering from a workshop binge and, several months down the line, Steve agreed with him. Tony was far healthier recently, and much more inclined to stay that way. He removed the last of Tony’s clothes and checked the water temperature with his hand.  
“All good baby boy, let’s get you in the tub and scrub this yuck off.”  
Tony grumbled and squirmed as Steve picked him up but allowed himself to be lowered into the warm, lavender scented water. 

By the time Steve had finished gently washing him clean, Tony had slipped fully into headspace and was tiredly playing with one of his rubber ducks.  
“Alright snugglebug, let’s get you out and dry before you go all wrinkly.”  
Steve scooped him up out of the bath and wrapped him in a large fluffy towel to dry him off. Tony snuggled into his chest and slipped his thumb into his mouth. “You’re a tired boy aren’t you?” Steve murmured as he patted Tony dry. Once satisfied, he carried a now-pliant Tony into the bedroom and laid him on the bed, tossing the wet towel into the laundry hamper and grabbing the diaper bag from the closet. Tony stirred as Steve slipped the changing mat beneath him.  
“No Dada, Rhodey here.”  
Steve continued diapering him despite his mumbled protest. “He won’t find out baby, I promise. I just want you to feel secure while you sleep, OK?”  
Tony squirmed a little and frowned, but allowed Steve to finish up and dress him in an old soft t-shirt for sleeping.  
Steve had just finished tidying away the supplies when there was a tap on the bedroom door and Phil stuck his head in.  
“JARVIS said you were about ready for Tony’s bottle.”  
Steve smiled at him, “We are, thanks Phil.”  
Steve slid onto the bed behind Tony and arranged them so that they were settled in a nest of pillows, Tony across his lap with his head resting in the crook of his arm. Phil handed him the warm bottle.”It’s a meal replacer tonight, he didn’t eat enough at dinner.”  
“Or in the last few days I imagine.” Steve rubbed the nipple gently across Tony’s lips, sliding it in when Tony opened his mouth. His face settled into a soft expression as Tony began to suck.  
“I think it would be wise to allow Colonel Rhodes to see Tony before too long, he was unhappy when you brought him up here. I think it would ease his mind.” Phil said after a few moments. Steve glanced at him, unsure. “We can let him in once Tony falls asleep and hide anything Tony wouldn’t want him to see, but Rhodes has been caring for Tony for a lot longer than we have and I don’t think it’s fair on him to prevent him from being reassured that we’re looking after his friend.”  
The room was quiet for a moment as Steve thought about it, the only sounds coming from Tony working sleepily at the bottle.  
“OK, but only once he’s asleep. I don’t want him to get riled up again.” Steve eventually agreed. “And we hide everything. Until Tony decides to tell Rhodes himself we protect him.”  
Coulson nodded and sat down in the armchair in the corner of the bedroom to wait for Tony to finish his bottle. Tony was mostly asleep by the time he finished drinking so Steve rearranged them so that Tony was laid on his chest, face burrowed into the crook of his neck. Normally he would have switched the bottle for a pacifier as soon as the milk was finished, however he allowed Tony to suck his thumb instead until Rhodes had been and gone. Coulson tidied the room, draped a blanket over them both to hide the diaper and glanced at Steve.  
“Is he asleep?”  
Tony’s breathing was deep and even and he was boneless in Steve’s embrace. “Yeah, I think we’re ok.”  
“I’ll go and ask the Colonel to come up then.” Coulson scouted around the room for any baby things that had escaped his tidying, then slipped out of the room. Steve relaxed as the sleepy baby snuffled into his neck and waited for Rhodes to arrive.

Rhodey had been getting increasingly restless downstairs. He knew he was being kept in the dark, Agent Coulson had told him as much, and he didn’t like it. Tony’s well being had always been his responsibility and he didn’t like sharing, although he tolerated Pepper and Happy stepping in when he couldn’t. Now there was Captain America and a handful of misfit spies and superheroes that seemed to know Tony better than he did. Rhodey was not happy. He looked up sharply when Agent Coulson re-entered the room. “Colonel Rhodes, if you’d mind coming with me I’ll take you to Tony.”  
Everyone in the room went silent, turning to Coulson with a range of expressions. Rhodey frowned, they clearly knew what was going on. “It’s alright, I promise.” Coulson soothed. Clint stood up anyway, looking concerned. “But Phil…” Coulson waved him back down to his seat and turned to lead Rhodey to the elevators. Rhodey waited until they were in the elevator before rounding on Coulson.  
“What the hell are you all playing at here, Agent Coulson? There’s clearly something going on that you don’t want me to know about, but I promise you that when it comes to Tony’s welfare I will not stop until I have all the answers.”  
“As a team we have developed some strict welfare protocols to ensure everyone remains healthy. Some are straightforward, such as eating meals together, and others are a little more complex. Tony’s particular routine took a lot of negotiation, as you can imagine, but it has proved to be very effective. The team, and Steve in particular, is unwilling to change his routine for any reason, including your presence. I hope you can understand that.” Coulson replied, with a glint of steel in his gaze. “He will be sleeping when we go in and I trust that you will do nothing to wake him again.”  
Rhodey bristled at the implication, “Coulson, I have been caring for Tony since you were in kindergarten. Don’t presume to tell me what I already know.”  
JARVIS had slowed the elevator down so the conversation could happen, but slid the doors open once it appeared that a truce had been reached. Coulson led the way to Tony’s bedroom and allowed Rhodey to step inside.

Rhodey didn’t know what he’d been expecting when he entered the room, but a soundly sleeping Tony nestled on Captain America’s chest had not been it. Steve looked up from where he’d been gazing at Tony and nodded a greeting to Rhodey. Rhodey took in the scene; the blanket, the low lights, the protective way Steve held him close and the gentle sucking sounds. That’s when he realised that Tony was contentedly sucking his thumb as he slept. It was that sight alone that made Rhodey relax. “Well if he’s happy to suck his thumb around you, you must be good people Rogers.” he whispered, taking a step closer to the bed. Steve ducked his head in acknowledgment and hid a shy smile in Tony’s curls. “He really OK?”  
Steve nodded, “Yeah, he really is.”  
“OK then.” Rhodey reached out and gently stroked his fingers through the mess of curls. “Tomorrow we’re going to have a conversation, Rogers. Tonight I’ll let you both rest.”  
“Yes Sir.”  
Rhodey nodded and rejoined Coulson in the hallway.

“Colonel Rhodes and Agent Coulson are back in the living room, Captain Rogers.” JARVIS said quietly.  
“Thank you JARVIS.” Steve released the tension he hadn’t realised he’d been holding and let it out with a sigh. Reaching over to the bedside table, he slid open a drawer and snagged a pacifier, gently removing Tony’s thumb from his mouth and slipping the pacifier in before he could so much as breathe a complaint. It was still relatively early and Steve wasn't ready to sleep, but he was more than content to lay there with his baby and let the stressors of the week fade away. He wasn’t looking forward to the conversation with Colonel Rhodes tomorrow but he understood the man’s motives. He’d be similarly protective over Tony if he was in the Colonel’s shoes and Steve was keen to get on with the man as he was so important to Tony. He nestled further into the pillows and shifted Tony into a more comfortable position, settling down for the night.

Steve was woken the next morning by a squirmy body in the bed beside him. He rolled over and pinned Tony to the mattress with his arm, eliciting a squeak of protest.  
“Morning wriggles, sleep well?”  
“Wet, Dada.” Was Tony’s response.  
Steve dropped a kiss on the top of his head. “Well then I guess I better fix that for you then, baby boy.”  
He tickled Tony gently then got up and fetched the changing mat and diaper bag. He slid the mat underneath Tony and popped the forgotten pacifier back in his mouth before removing the wet diaper. Steve took his time cleaning Tony with wipes and applied cream to the red areas where a rash was likely to form if he wasn’t careful. A Tony with diaper rash was an unhappy Tony indeed. A clean diaper and a liberal sprinkling of powder finished the process, and before Tony knew it he was in a clean, dry diaper and was being snuggled into his Daddy’s lap. Steve peppered kisses all over his face and in his hair making Tony giggle and squirm happily.  
“Feeling better snugglebug?”  
Tony nodded and yawned, then his stomach grumbled loudly making Steve laugh.  
“Sounds like your tummy says it's breakfast time.”  
“Downstairs?” Tony asked around his pacifier, knowing that breakfast downstairs meant pancakes and eggs and extra cuddles with everybody else.  
Steve rocked them gently where they sat on the end of the bed. “We can if you want baby boy, but you’d have to be big because Rhodey’s here.”  
“Oh.” Tony was crestfallen. Breakfast upstairs meant oatmeal and fruit. Steve could see Tony thinking; downstairs with Rhodey and a fun breakfast where he has to be big, upstairs with Steve where he can be little for a while longer and enjoy time with his Daddy, or be little downstairs and letting Rhodey know about his secret. Steve watched Tony suck on his pacifier a little harder as he thought, knowing what the decision was as soon as Tony removed the pacifier and handed it to Steve.  
“Big with Rhodey and pancakes.” he declared, a little uncertainly.  
“Big it is then. Do you want me to change you into a pull up just in case? You know nobody will be able to tell.”  
Tony hid his face in Steve’s neck as he often did when he was unsure or embarrassed.  
“It’s OK to say yes if it’ll help you feel secure.” Steve soothed, rubbing large circles over Tony’s back. He felt Tony nod into his neck. “That was a hard decision, well done Tony, I’m proud of you.”  
Steve stood up and took Tony with him, turning them around so he could lay Tony back down on the bed. In no time at all he removed the diaper and changed it to a pull up. Steve normally liked to make a fuss over Tony during diaper changes as it was a good time for bonding, however he respected Tony’s decision to come up out of headspace so didn’t linger with his usual tickles and kisses. Once he was done he stepped back to allow Tony to stand up by himself and went into the bathroom to throw out the diaper and wash his hands. He returned to the bedroom to find Tony standing in front of his closet looking lost.  
“Would you like some help picking out clothes sweetheart?” Steve asked. Tony scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed, casting a baleful look at Steve.  
“It’s hard coming back up this morning, everything is foggy.”  
Steve stepped beside him and started rooting through the closet looking for the softest sweatpants and hoody he could find, handing them to Tony to put on when he was satisfied.  
“Once you’re dressed and feel big enough, I’d like to talk to you about Rhodey before we go for breakfast please.”  
Tony gave him a suspicious look. “What about Rhodey?”  
“Clothes first please. I’ll wait for you in the living room.” Steve kissed Tony’s forehead and left him to his clothes. 

Tony joined him after a few minutes, dressed for the day but clearly defeated by the socks he carried. He looked unsure as he sat down beside Steve.  
“What about Rhodey?” he asked Steve again. Steve wrapped an arm around his waist and tucked him into his side.  
“He was upset last night that I brought you up here and demanded to know what was going on.” Steve began.  
“Rhodey knows?!” Tony blurted out in panic. Steve shushed him.  
“No baby, he doesn’t know. But he wants to talk to me today and I want to know what you’d like me to tell him.” He felt the nervous tremors in Tony’s body, saddened that he’d managed to upset him so early in the day. “Rhodey loves you and he wants to be sure that you’re happy with us here.”  
“He’ll hate me if he finds out.” Tony said in a small voice, pressing as close to Steve as he could get.  
“I don’t think he will. I don’t think anything you could do would make him hate you.”  
Tony was quiet for a little while, clearly thinking.  
“He already lets you cuddle on his lap and he knows that you suck your thumb and he still loves you, right?” Tony nodded. “So it’s not much of a step to take to the rest, is it?” Tony stayed silent. “It’s entirely your choice Tony, I won’t tell him anything that you don’t want him to know, but do you think you might like him to know?”  
Tony hid his face back in Steve’s neck.  
“OK, this is a hard conversation to have when you’re between headspaces. How about we go for breakfast and you can decide once you’ve got some pancakes in your tummy? I promise that I won’t tell him anything unless you tell me that I can. Do you think you’ll be OK for a team breakfast?”  
Tony nodded and sighed, sitting up out of Steve’s embrace and handing him the socks. “I can’t put these on. It’s still too hard.”  
Steve took the socks and had them on Tony’s feet in short order, resisting the temptation to tickle them as he did so.  
“Come on then squirt, let’s go get breakfast.”

The rest of the team had got very good at spotting which headspace Tony was in, so when he and Steve got to the communal kitchen they greeted him as usual. Rhodey was nursing a mug of coffee and cast an assessing eye over his friend. Tony certainly looked well-rested but there was still more than a little tension around his eyes if one knew where to look.  
“Morning sugar plum.” Tony greeted, sliding into the stool beside Rhodey “Sleep well?”  
“I did. Did you?” Tony nodded, then glared at Bruce when he set a glass of orange juice down in front of him.  
“Brucie, Bruce, man of my heart, why are you depriving me of my coffee?” Tony complained, with his usual dramatics.  
Bruce just raised an eyebrow at him, “You know why. Drink your juice so you don’t get scurvy.”  
One of the family rules Tony regretted agreeing to was no coffee when he was in his headspace, or between headspaces like he was now. Rhodey was surprised when Tony just huffed and sipped at the juice rather than getting up and getting his own coffee. His conversation with Rogers couldn’t happen soon enough for his liking. He looked over in time to see Rogers tugging Barton off the top of the fridge by the ankle so he could open the door and start pulling out ingredients. As soon as Barton realised what the ingredients were, he plastered himself to Rogers’ back in an enthusiastic hug.  
“Yes! Cap-cakes for breakfast!” he bellowed gleefully, right in Rogers’ ear.  
“Thank Tony, it was his request.”  
Barton let go of Rogers and flung himself at Tony instead, smothering his face in sloppy kisses. Tony shrugged him off and wiped at his cheeks with his sleeve. “Ugh, that’s gross featherhead, get off me.”  
Barton smooched a particularly obnoxious kiss on Tony’s cheek before letting go and ruffling his hair. “Best tin can ever.”  
Rhodey raised his eyebrow at Tony, who shrugged in response. “Steve makes great pancakes.” he said, still trying to wipe the last of Barton’s slobber from his face.

Breakfast was a lively affair once word got around that Steve was making pancakes. Rhodey watched as an astonishing array of chopped fruit, syrups, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages appeared, then disappeared inside hungry superheroes. With a God and a supersoldier at the table Rhodey had to eat quick or not eat at all. Focussed as he was on his own breakfast, it took him a while to realise what was happening beside him. Once again Tony was sandwiched between himself and Rogers, and once again Rogers had fixed his plate for him, but he was more active in getting food into Tony than he had been at dinner the previous night. Everything on Tony’s plate was cut into bite-sized pieces which Tony was picking at with his fingers, but every so often Rogers would take a forkful of eggs and offer them to Tony, who would open his mouth and accept the food. Rhodey looked around the table to see none of the team batting an eyelid at this behaviour, so he concluded that it must be a regular occurance. Rhodey bided his time and continued with his breakfast.

Once people started drifting away from the table to start their days, Rhodey made his move. “Captain, I’d like to have that conversation if it’s convenient?”  
Rhodey didn’t miss the panicked look that crossed Tony’s face, or the way he leaned into Steve, who murmured into his ear then nodded at Rhodes.  
“Sure thing Colonel, just give me a minute with Tony and I’ll meet you in the living room.”  
Rhodey went into the living room but positioned himself so that he could see into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. He saw a whispered conversation between Rogers and Tony, then Rogers hugged Tony and, oddly, passed him into Banner’s arms. Banner and Tony then headed to the elevators and Rogers came into the living room, sitting in the same armchair he’d occupied the previous evening. Rhodey opened his mouth to speak but Rogers held up a hand to silence him. A moment later, JARVIS said “Dr Banner and young sir are in the penthouse, Captain.”  
“Thank you JARVIS” said Steve, then turned to Rhodey. “You have questions.”  
“Why the hell are you treating Tony like a child?” he blurted out.  
Rogers sighed, “Straight to the point, huh? Phil said you’d had a conversation about the team’s welfare plan?”  
Rhodey nodded.  
“Well, that’s a big part of Tony’s. He gives over responsibility to me to take care of his needs when he isn’t capable of doing so himself. You know how he gets.”  
“And he’s OK with that? He didn’t seem very pleased with you taking him away last night.” Rhodey was stern.  
“No he wasn’t, but we have his consent to override his complaints in situations like that. I promise you that he settled pretty quickly once we were upstairs.”  
“Still doesn’t explain why you were hand feeding him eggs this morning.”  
Rogers decided to change tack. “Colonel Rhodes, what do you know of Age Play?”  
Rhodey was taken aback. “You mean adults pretending to be children? Men in diapers, that sort of thing?”  
Rogers nodded. “Yeah, that sort of thing.”  
“Are you telling me you and Tony do that? You get off on him pretending to be a kid while you...that’s sick, Rogers.”  
Rogers hurried to interrupt. “No! God, no! It’s not sexual for either of us.” he looked, Rhodey was relieved to note, disgusted at the thought.  
“So what is it then? Why do you do that to Tony?” Rhodey was struggling to understand.  
“I don’t do anything to Tony, we age play together within mutually agreed parameters. It was something suggested to him by the only therapist Tony hasn’t terrorised into quitting, as a way for him to manage the traumas he’s lived through.” Rogers did his best to explain. “He’s finally healthy Colonel, can you see that?”  
Rhodey nodded. He had noticed how well Tony was looking during this visit, something that hadn’t been as apparent during their frequent video chats.  
“So what do you do?” Rhodey conceded.  
“On a basic level, I make sure he eats and sleeps regularly and gets all the affection he wants. We have family rules that we’ve all agreed on, such as a mandatory 24 hour break after every 72 hours in the workshop and no coffee when he’s in his headspace, and he doesn’t do any work for SI or the Avengers until the rest period has passed.”  
“And on a more complex level?” Rhodey asked, mind spinning with this new information.  
Rogers scrubbed a hand over his face in clear discomfort, “I bathe him, play with him, reinforce boundaries when necessary and do whatever we need to to keep him well.”  
“You treat him like a child.” Rhodey stated, still not altogether comfortable with the idea.  
“Tony’s headspace is around eighteen months old. So yes, I treat him accordingly.”  
“I’m going to need to think about this. This is a lot to take in.” Rhodey said finally.  
“If I may Colonel” said JARVIS, “I have taken the liberty to upload some useful articles about non-sexual age play onto your Starkpad. Sir would appreciate you reading them before you draw any conclusions.”  
“Thank you JARVIS “ Rhodey replied automatically.  
“I need to go back upstairs, Tony’s slipped back into his headspace and gets upset if I’m not there. I, uh, I'd appreciate it if you’d at least let me know if you’re going to leave so I can find a way to tell him.”  
Rhodey nodded and picked up the Starkpad.

Steve could hear Tony sobbing as soon as the elevator doors slid open. He hurried towards the sound, finding a distraught Tony wailing in the living room while Bruce did his best to calm him down.  
“Oh baby boy.” Steve couldn’t help scooping Tony up and cuddling him close.  
“Dada!” Tony wailed, gripping tightly to Steve’s shirt and burying his head into his chest. Steve rubbed his back soothingly and bounced him gently.  
“What’s all this noise, huh?”  
“He’s been inconsolable since I brought him up here, just kept calling for you.” Bruce explained, looking a little harried.  
“It’s been a difficult start to our day, hasn’t it little one? Hush now, you’re ok.” Steve walked around the room, carrying Tony and bouncing him gently until the sobbing began to quiet. “Thanks for bringing him up here Bruce, I thought he’d drop back down pretty quickly and Colonel Rhodes really wanted to talk to me.”  
Bruce got up from the sofa. “Rhodes OK with all this?” he asked, gesturing at a quietly weeping Tony snuggled in his daddy’s arms.  
“I left him doing some reading.” Steve replied, glancing down at the top of Tony’s head.  
Bruce nodded in understanding. “I need to get back to the lab. You’re ok with him now?”  
“I am. I think someone just needs a change and a cuddle with his daddy.”  
“Let me know if you need anything, JARVIS can give me a nudge.”  
Steve nodded his thanks and Bruce headed back down to his lab.

“OK baby boy, let’s get you into a dry diaper and feeling all cosy again.” Steve cooed, taking a now quietly sniffing Tony into the bedroom. He laid Tony gently on the bed and made to step back to get the changing mat, but Tony clung onto his shirt and whimpered. “I’m not leaving sweetheart, I just need to get the diaper bag.” Tony clung tighter and began to cry again. Steve shushed him and gently rubbed his tummy. Sensing that trying to get Tony to let go was a lost cause, Steve stretched his leg out and managed to hook the strap of the diaper bag with his foot and drag it close enough to pick up. He decided to forego the changing mat just this once, it seemed like a battle not worth fighting. He spotted Tony’s favourite teddy tangled in the duvet from this morning, so he grabbed it and brushed the soft fur against Tony’s face, soothing away the last of his tears.  
“Hey there, that’s better. Can you cuddle your bear so I can change your diaper now please?” Tony sniffed and gave a tiny nod, letting go of Steve’s shirt and grabbing at his bear instead. “Thank you baby.”  
Steve gently removed Tony’s sweatpants then, seeing how wet the pull up was, took the opportunity to quickly grab the changing mat and slide it under Tony. “We don’t want to make a mess of the duvet, do we baby?”  
Steve continued to murmur and coo at the baby as he efficiently stripped the wet pull up off and set about cleaning Tony’s skin with baby wipes, removing any trace of urine to reduce the risk of diaper rash, then adding cream and powder. Raising Tony’s hips to slide a clean diaper under him, Steve couldn’t resist gently tickling his sides as he reached around for the diaper tabs, making Tony squirm and huff a little laugh.  
“Oh really, that spot right there huh?” Steve teased, quickly taping up the diaper so he could tickle Tony again. Tony squirmed in delight and giggled so Steve continued, tickling up and down Tony’s ribs until the baby was kicking his legs and helpless with laughter.  
“There’s my happy baby boy.” Steve blew a raspberry on Tony’s tummy, then scooped him up into a giggly hug. “That’s better, no more tears sweetheart.” Steve carried Tony into the living room and sat on the couch, settling Tony onto his lap and allowing him to snuggle close.  
“How about we watch some cartoons and start our day again?”  
Tony babbled in agreement and JARVIS switched on the TV.

Meanwhile, Rhodey worked his way through the documents JARVIS had supplied him with. The more he read the more he understood, and the more he appreciated how age play could help someone like Tony. He knew how awful Tony’s childhood had been, he’d seen first hand how the damage manifested itself in the many destructive behaviours Tony had adopted over the years, and he could see the clear benefits Tony was experiencing from this age play routine. Rhodey made up his mind.  
“JARVIS, I’d like to see Tony please.” he asked.  
“Sir is currently indisposed Colonel Rhodes.” JARVIS replied. “May I suggest you speak to Agent Coulson initially?”  
“I’m not going to hurt him JARVIS.”  
“Agent Coulson has requested a video call Colonel.”  
Knowing how protective the AI was of Tony, Rhodey decided to follow his request. Picking up the Starktab again he could see an incoming call from Coulson, which he accepted.  
“Agent Coulson, JARVIS wouldn’t let me see Tony and told me to speak to you instead.” he greeted.  
“I take it you have read the documents Tony put aside for you?” Coulson answered. Rhodes nodded. “And your conclusion, Colonel?”  
“That I want to see my best friend and let him know that I’m not rejecting him, or mad at him, or any other fool thing he’s got in his head regarding me finding out about this.”  
Coulson smiled. “Then I shall let Steve know that you want to visit as soon as Tony gives the word. JARVIS will let you up when they’re ready.”  
“Thank you Agent Coulson.” Rhodey ended the call.

Less than 20 minutes later, the elevator doors slid open behind him.  
“Colonel, sir has requested your presence in the penthouse.” JARVIS said. Rhodey shot to his feet and got into the elevator, slightly apprehensive but eager to see Tony. He stepped out of the elevator into Tony’s living room and was greeted by the sight of Tony sitting in Rogers’ lap, face hidden in his neck. Rogers smiled a greeting then turned his attention to Tony, attempting to get him to stop hiding.  
“Hey baby, Rhodey’s come to see you. Do you think you can say hello?” Rhodey was surprised by the gentle tones Rogers used to talk to Tony, more used to hearing the Captain’s firm voice. He saw Tony shake his head and press closer into Rogers.  
Rogers shot an apologetic look at Rhodey “Sorry Colonel, he’s a shy one. Maybe if you come and sit with us he’ll start to feel more comfortable.”  
Rhodey went over and took a seat on the armchair beside the sofa, angled so that he could see Tony. He cleared his throat. “Is it ok to talk to him?” he asked Rogers, who nodded and continued rubbing large circles on Tony’s back, rocking them gently side to side.  
“Hey Tony, I read the articles you wanted me to.” Rhodey began, taking his cue from Rogers and keeping his tone soft. “I think it’s great that you’ve found a way of getting out of that head of yours.” He heard Tony sniff quietly. “I’m not going to lie, I was surprised at first, but then after doing some reading I can understand why it works for you. Tony, I don’t hate you. Can we still be friends?” Rhodey held his breath as one brown eye peeked at him cautiously. “I’ve cuddled you and fed you plenty myself over the years, the way I see it this isn’t much different from that. You’re still my best guy Tones.”  
Tony shifted so he wasn’t hiding as much in Rogers, regarding Rhodey openly. Rhodey let him look, hoping he could see the truth to his words. After a few tense moments, Tony held out his hand to Rhodey, who took it immediately. “Hey there little one, it’s good to see you.” he smiled at Tony, who ducked his face back into Rogers’ neck to hide again, but he didn’t let go of Rhodey’s hand.  
Rogers cuddled Tony closer, kissing his hair “you’re such a brave boy sweetheart, I’m so proud of you. Do you want to sit with Rhodey for a bit?”  
At Tony’s nod, Rogers stood up with Tony and settled him into Rhodey’s lap. Rhodey wrapped his arms around Tony and let him nuzzle into his neck, just as he’d done a thousand times before. The only difference was that Tony seemed to be wearing a diaper. He looked up at Rogers questioningly.  
“He, ah, isn’t always in full control of his bladder and bowels when he’s in headspace. Trust me when I say it’s for the best that he’s diapered. Coffee?”  
“Please.”  
Rogers headed off to the kitchen and Rhodey shifted the bundle in his lap into a more comfortable position, giving in to the urge to card his fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony sighed in pleasure and slipped his thumb into his mouth, sucking contentedly.  
“You’re a pretty cute kid, Tones.” he mumbled into Tony’s temple.  
Rogers returned with their coffee and handed a mug to Rhodey, huffing when he noticed Tony sucking his thumb. He placed his own mug on the side table and dug into a drawer, fishing out a pacifier which he expertly switched for Tony’s thumb. Tony gripped onto Rhodey’s shirt with his newly freed hand, pacifier bobbing as he sucked it. Rhodey took a sip of his coffee.  
“So this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting out of this visit.” Rhodey said, looking over at Rogers.  
“I don’t doubt that. Are you really ok with this?” Rogers asked, worried.  
“I am. I’ve been looking after this kid for decades and let me tell you, this isn’t even nearly the weirdest thing I’ve caught him doing.”  
“I don’t think I want to know.” Rogers said with a small smile.  
“Let me know if you ever need some good blackmail material and I’ll tell you a few tales.”  
They drank their coffee in comfortable silence for a while, lulled by the sounds of Tony lazily sucking his pacifier as he fell asleep. Before long, he was out like a light on Rhodey’s lap. Rogers smiled fondly at his sleeping form.  
“I didn’t think he’d be able to stay awake for much longer, he normally sleeps a lot after a workshop binge. Let me know when your legs go numb, I’ll move him.” Rogers said. “He was so scared of you finding out about this, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’ve accepted him.”  
“Howard was an abusive son of a bitch.” Rhodey said after a moment, “I’m glad he’s getting a second chance at childhood. Do I need to tell you what I’d do to you if you hurt him in any way, or shall I just leave it to your imagination?” he glared at Rogers, who dropped his gaze and gulped.  
“No sir, I think I can imagine it well enough. I can’t promise that we won’t have our differences, but I can promise not to leave him of my own accord.”  
“That’ll do me Captain.”  
Sitting there with a quietly sleeping Tony in his arms, Rhodey was at peace.


End file.
